In a letter addressed to the US Department of Commerce, but also sent to Rod Beckstrom and other ICANN execs, Phil Corwin of the Internet Commerce Association told ICANN not to cede the new gTLD process to governments represented by the GAC (Governmental Advisory Committee). I think the letter is nothing short of brilliant and makes me proud to be a member of the ICA: ""I am writing on … [Read more...]
US Wants To Make Loser Pay For All Costs & Domain Transferred Under New Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS): ICA Responds
On last Friday, January 28th the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) submitted a paper to ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee containing its suggestions for what position the GAC should push for at its February 28 – March 1 meeting with ICANN’s Board. According to the letter the U.S. wants the GAC to ask ICANN to make the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) into a “loser pays” system. The DOC … [Read more...]
We Should Find Out Next Week If UDRP Reform Is Coming: ICA Corwin Reacts
Next week on February 3 the GNSO (General Names Supporting Organization) of ICANN will take a vote on a motion that will determine whether ICANN will consider UDRP reform. The motion up for vote includes the following: ""RESOLVED #2, the GNSO Council requests an Issues Report on the current state of the UDRP. This effort should consider: How the UDRP has addressed the problem of … [Read more...]
WTR: Trademark Owners Plan to A Big Push For More Protection Before ICANN March Meeting
According to the WorldTrademarkReview.com, trademark holders are planning on making a big push for more protections for them and less rights for domain name holders during the ICANN board meets with the Government Advisory Council (GAC) next month before the ICANN March meeting in SF. The GAC is an ICANN advisory group made up of representatives from many governments. As we reported from the … [Read more...]
Panelists Hears WIPO Case Even Though He Worked At The Law Firm Representing The Trademark Holder: No Conflict Of Interest?
If you have ever spent one day in law school you would learn that in the court system, judges are not allowed to hear cases in which they have any type of interest and certainly not in cases involving former clients. However in the UDRP/WIPO world that doesn't seem to be a problem for panelists to decide cases, even if they used to work for one of the parties. Take the case of cloro.com … [Read more...]
ICA: Watch The Federal Online Privacy Legislation: It May Effect Domains
Phil Corwin the attorney who represents the ICA just posted its site, an article about Federal Online Privacy legislation that maybe proposed and its possible effect on domain names. Here is the article in full. """The Wall Street Journal’s (online.wsj.com ) July 31st issue carries a front page story, with extensive sidebars, titled “The Web's New Gold Mine: Your Secrets”. It’s the first … [Read more...]
Utah House and Senate Pass CADNA Backed Trademark Bill, Why This Is VERY Bad News For Domainers
The “UTAH E-COMMERCE INTEGRITY ACT” which was just introduced in December of 2009, passed the Utah Senate last month, was voted into law by the Utah House today. When I first wrote about this bill in December, it was meet with the usual domainer apathy I see when I write about something that can have huge negative effects on their holdings. Sine then, the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse … [Read more...]